Pleas Demanding Probe Into Judge Loya’s Death, SC Reserves Verdict

The Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas seeking an independent probe into the alleged mysterious death of special CBI judge B H Loya.

Loya, who was hearing the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case involving various police officers and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah., had allegedly died of cardiac arrest in Nagpur on December 1, 2014 when he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleague’s daughter.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud reserved the verdict after an elaborate hearing. The petitions seeking a probe into Loya’s death was opposed by the Maharashtra government.

The apex court had earlier asked the Maharashtra Government to submit the post-mortem report of the CBI judge, who had died in alleged suspicious circumstances in 2014, citing that the “matter was very serious.”

It may be recalled that in an unprecedented press conference on January 12, Justices Madan B. Lokur, Kurien Joseph, Ranjan Gogoi and Jasti Chelameswar questioned the conduct of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra, alleging that selective Benches were being appointed to preside over certain cases in the apex court. Justice Loya’s death was one among the certain cases hinted by the four judges.